Libraries FAQs

FAQs

Have questions? Read through our FAQs below. Still can't find an answer? Visit our Customer Service page for order-related inquiries, Technical Support for help with your Transparent Language product, or simply Contact Us.

Traditional language-learning programs are lengthy and inflexible. Our web-based technology focuses on developing language in a fun, engaging, and time-efficient way. Transparent Language programs develop skills more quickly and reliably, and for a wider range of languages, than any other system.

We differentiate ourselves in three key ways:

In addition to supporting more languages, Transparent Language Online also provides more learning material and activities in each language. Each language course contains over 2,300 unique words and phrases. This vocabulary is organized into lessons with a wide variety of engaging learning activities, all presented with native speaker pronunciation. The breadth of learning material and variety of activities means that all levels of language learners are covered with Transparent Language Online.

We cover all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Would you ever buy a math tutoring system that left out addition? Of course not. Transparent Language Online is the only major language-learning system that actually teaches customers the alphabet and how to type in the language.

We help customers sustain what they learn. Without practice, newly acquired language skills quickly disappear. Transparent Language Online's learned words and phrases refresh system is designed to keep that from happening. The refresh algorithm keeps track of when a learned word or phrase becomes "Stale" or is at risk of being forgotten. The best thing about it? Users don't need to track anything. The program handles all of the Fresh and Stale words and phrases, allowing users to focus on what's really important – mastering more of their new language. In this way, Transparent Language Online is designed to be not only a language-learning tool, but also a system for lifelong sustainment.

For additional details and product-specific comparisons, see our overviews of Transparent Language Online compared to offerings by other companies like Rosetta Stone, Mango Languages, and Duolingo.

Transparent Language Online includes access to over 105 different language courses, including English. We are always expanding the list of languages we support, so please contact us for more information.

We build courses for English beginners as well as intermediate and advanced English learners. The beginner material is built using a paired approach, leveraging the customer's native language. The intermediate-advanced material is immersive, using English to help users learn from context and simplified definitions. This approach helps customers develop conversational skills, cultural awareness, vocabulary, and pronunciation. The courses are organized around useful, real-life topics like navigating the work environment, getting a job, building relationships, and handling money. Each lesson is built on a conversation, and customers listen to native speaker audio before practicing and recording their own pronunciation of the English phrases.

Most subscriptions to Transparent Language Online come with access to all available languages in the system. You can remove languages from the list of available languages visible to your customers, should you wish to do so.

Should your library choose to subscribe, Transparent Language Online will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with very limited interruption for maintenance and updates. There is no limitation of use by authorized library customers or librarians.

We will provide your library with digital and/or printed resources to help build usage. For example, one customer boosted customer usage with information and an image on their library's homepage. Other libraries have had great success with posters, flyers, table tents, and bookmarks. We provide this support free of charge and can customize resources to your library. You can also download a variety of marketing materials at home.transparent.com/library-marketing-kit.

Transparent Language Online goes as deep as your customers want to take it. The primary learning materials, our Essentials courses, are great for beginners and go up to the advanced-beginner or intermediate level. The Essentials courses are supplemented by 100+ additional vocabulary units.

Transparent Language Online includes a variety of culture resources. Culture is intertwined into the learning process in the form of comments/hints. An "About" reference file can also be found in each language, giving the user a background in the language they are learning. Certain courses in the system also include a Cultural Awareness activity with information about the language and a set of questions at the end of the reading content to confirm the learner's understanding. Transparent Language Online also integrates culture learning through Language and Culture Blogs, Social Media platforms, and reference material.

The Language and Culture Blogs vary by language; each is professionally written by one or more people who are active participants in the language and culture. Blog entries typically include language learning tips, cultural information, and commentary on current events, and they often include video blog posts. Like the blogs, the Transparent Language YouTube Video Channels have contents that vary by language. They typically include video lessons, covering common grammar points or other issues in the language.

The Transparent Language Facebook communities help learners stay connected to all things related to learning and experiencing the chosen language. These active pages provide a forum for feedback and interaction with native speakers and other learners. They include regular posts by page moderators as well as comments from thousands of followers.

In addition, many of the language channels include dialogues or video tours of everyday life to provide an authentic cultural experience. The "Language Overview" sections present slide lessons about the language being learned. This resource includes information about the history, regions where spoken, culture, and other interesting aspects of the language.

Yes, the speech activities in Transparent Language Online are powered by our EveryVoice™ technology. EveryVoice is a new technology that analyzes and matches learner utterances to native speaker utterances with surprising accuracy in any language. It allows for a variety of speech-enabled interactions, which builds speaker confidence and ability.

We provide webinars to all library staff who are interested in learning more about the features of Transparent Language Online. These private webinars are scheduled around a common time that works for your staff and can be tailored to specific needs or questions. The Transparent Language Online system also includes video tutorials, FAQ's, and an extensive online help system to assist customers.

Transparent Language Online provides real time user statistics and reports that are constantly updated. The flexible system provides month-by-month, quarterly, and yearly reports as needed. These include summary reports of total usage, usage reports for specific programs, and usage reports for specific languages. Access and reports will remain available 24/7 throughout the duration of the subscription period.

Transparent Language Online is no different than any other web-based site, such as a news site, which also offers resources varying from text to videos. The amount of resources our application will consume varies depending on if the learner is viewing grammar videos, flipping flash cards, or simply returning to a cached page containing text resources. It would be safe to say the facility can support the same number of learners using Transparent Language Online as web browsers they support during the day.

Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android devices at no additional change. The program is also fully mobile responsive, so the entire program can be accessed directly through a web browser on a mobile device (tablet or mobile phone). If accessing the website through a mobile device web browser, the program will automatically enhance the experience for the user and take them to the mobile version of the site.